A corps of 45 volunteers, led by sale coordinator Linda Greiner of Palm-Aire, accepts donations throughout the year. Friends member Kathy Drendel takes the lead in stowing away donations. All members are adept at quickly and neatly arranging them by category and in alphabetical order for the sale, Greiner said.

Among the shoppers was Marvin Smith, a retired dentist from Massachusetts who lives on Longboat Key, and is frequently in the area to visit Chabad of Bradenton on Lorraine Road.

Still at novice at playing an organ he bought four years ago, Smith found an instruction book with music for his level.

Nancy Marini, one of Greiner's friends from the Sarasota Shell Club, volunteered to help greet people at the door and hand out shopping bags.

Most of the books were priced at $1 or $2. Puzzles, games and magazines also were among the items.

"The proceeds stay right here, to pay for programs and any equipment they might need," Greiner said.

The giving continues after the sale ends. A church gets religious books. Other organizations, such as the Palm-Aire Women's Club, accept books to send to people serving in the military or those in Veterans Administration hospitals. The rest of the inventory is donated to the Salvation Army.

The cycle then begins anew to accept and sort donations. The next sale will be Aug. 7 to 9.

The Friends members promote the use of the library through public awareness, sponsor programs for children and adults, encourage endowments and memorials, and help buy items for the library that cannot be purchased from the operating budget, according to the group's promotional material.

Two of the featured programs will be a Ben Franklin costume performance by Dr. Rich Davis at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4 and author Beth Duke at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15.

Friends membership levels include $5 a year for a individual, $10 for a family, $50 for a donor and $500 for a Cornerstone Plaque member. For more information, call 727-6079.

Friends of the Library groups throughout the county help support other branches in the Manatee County Public Library System.

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Christi Womack can be reached at christi.womack@heraldtribune or 745-7824 or via Twitter at @christiwomack.